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BaCu2Sn(S,Se)4: Earth-abundant chalcogenides for thin-film photovoltaics

Publication ,  Journal Article
Shin, D; Saparov, B; Zhu, T; Huhn, WP; Blum, V; Mitzi, DB
Published in: Chemistry of Materials
July 12, 2016

Chalcogenides such as CdTe, Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGSSe), and Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) have enabled remarkable advances in thin-film photovoltaic performance, but concerns remain regarding (i) the toxicity (CdTe) and (ii) scarcity (CIGSSe/CdTe) of the constituent elements and (iii) the unavoidable antisite disordering that limits further efficiency improvement (CZTSSe). In this work, we show that a different materials class, the BaCu2SnSexS4-x (BCTSSe) system, offers a prospective path to circumvent difficulties (i-iii) and to target new environmentally friendly and earth-abundant absorbers. Antisite disordering and associated band tailing are discouraged in BCTSSe due to the distinct coordination environment of the large Ba2+ cation. Indeed, an abrupt absorption edge and sharp associated photoluminescence emission demonstrate a reduced impact of band tailing in BCTSSe relative to CZTSSe. Our combined experimental and computational studies of BCTSSe reveal that the compositions 0 ≤ x ≤ 4 exhibit a tunable nearly direct or direct bandgap in the 1.6-2 eV range, spanning relevant values for single- or multiple-junction photovoltaic applications. For the first time, a prototype BaCu2SnS4-based thin-film solar cell has been successfully demonstrated, yielding a power conversion efficiency of 1.6% (0.42 cm2 total area). The systematic experimental and theoretical investigations, combined with proof-of-principle device results, suggest promise for BaCu2SnSexS4-x as a thin-film solar cell absorber.

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Published In

Chemistry of Materials

DOI

EISSN

1520-5002

ISSN

0897-4756

Publication Date

July 12, 2016

Volume

28

Issue

13

Start / End Page

4771 / 4780

Related Subject Headings

  • Materials
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 09 Engineering
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
 

Citation

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Shin, D., Saparov, B., Zhu, T., Huhn, W. P., Blum, V., & Mitzi, D. B. (2016). BaCu2Sn(S,Se)4: Earth-abundant chalcogenides for thin-film photovoltaics. Chemistry of Materials, 28(13), 4771–4780. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b01832
Shin, D., B. Saparov, T. Zhu, W. P. Huhn, V. Blum, and D. B. Mitzi. “BaCu2Sn(S,Se)4: Earth-abundant chalcogenides for thin-film photovoltaics.” Chemistry of Materials 28, no. 13 (July 12, 2016): 4771–80. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b01832.
Shin D, Saparov B, Zhu T, Huhn WP, Blum V, Mitzi DB. BaCu2Sn(S,Se)4: Earth-abundant chalcogenides for thin-film photovoltaics. Chemistry of Materials. 2016 Jul 12;28(13):4771–80.
Shin, D., et al. “BaCu2Sn(S,Se)4: Earth-abundant chalcogenides for thin-film photovoltaics.” Chemistry of Materials, vol. 28, no. 13, July 2016, pp. 4771–80. Scopus, doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b01832.
Shin D, Saparov B, Zhu T, Huhn WP, Blum V, Mitzi DB. BaCu2Sn(S,Se)4: Earth-abundant chalcogenides for thin-film photovoltaics. Chemistry of Materials. 2016 Jul 12;28(13):4771–4780.
Journal cover image

Published In

Chemistry of Materials

DOI

EISSN

1520-5002

ISSN

0897-4756

Publication Date

July 12, 2016

Volume

28

Issue

13

Start / End Page

4771 / 4780

Related Subject Headings

  • Materials
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 09 Engineering
  • 03 Chemical Sciences